The June 2026 DMW’s Monthly Website Update

This June 2026 Website Update will discuss some good examples of followers of Jesus, in the last 100 years, and now, helping Jesus grow the kingdom of God? (1 Corinthians 15:22-25):

1 Corinthians 15:22-25 ESV: “For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.”

These four verses tell us a lot. They tell us that the end of the age comes after Jesus has put all his enemies under his feet and delivered the kingdom to God the Father. It also tells us that Jesus is reigning now as he goes about putting his enemies under his feet with the help of the Holy Spirit and his followers.

A few of Jesus’s followers I am aware of in the past, that have helped Jesus (And I believe there must be thousands more.):

William Wilberforce (UK) Best known for leading the effort to get Britain out of the Atlantic slave trade.

Bishop Desmond Tutu (South Africa) “Working and praying not just to end apartheid, but to end it in such a way as to produce a reconciled, forgiving South Africa.”[1][i]

Dame Cicely Saunders (UK) She is known as a nurse in Britain and her role in the birth of the hospice movement.

William J. Seymour (US) The humble pastor of the Azusa Street Revival from 1906 -1915.

Mother Teresa (Albania/India) She was a Catholic nun and founder of the Missionaries of Charity and a Catholic Saint.

C. S. Lewis (UK) He was a British author, scholar and theologian in both literature and religion.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer (Germany) He was a German Lutheran Pastor and author. And known for his staunch resistance to the Nazi dictatorship including the Nazi euthanasia program and genocidal persecution of Jews.

Corrie ten Boom (Netherlands) She was a Dutch watchmaker and Christian writer who with family members helped many Jewish people to escape from the Nazi’s in WW II.

Irena Sendler (Poland) A social worker who smuggled thousands of children out of the Warsaw ghetto.

Carl Lutz (Switzerland) A diplomat in Budapest who issued thousands of protective letters to Jewish families.

Nicholas Winton (UK) Organized the “Kindertransport” to bring 669 children from Czechoslovakia to safety.

Oskar Schindler (Germany) A Nazi industrialist who listed his workers as essential, saving them from concentration camps.

Raoul Wallenberg (Sweden) A diplomat who saved tens of thousands in Hungary by issuing protective passports.

Aristides de Sousa Mendes (Portugal) A diplomat who issued thousands of visas against his government’s orders.

Sophie Scholl (Germany) A student who ran the White Rose non-violent resistance group.

Frank Foley (UK) A spy who helped over 10,000 Jews escape Germany.

Jordan van Hulst (Netherlands) A teacher who saved hundreds of children via a nearby nursery.

Mother Maria Skobtsova (France) An orthodox nun who provided hiding places in Paris.

Si Kaddour Benghabrit (France) Head of the Paris Mosque who hid many Jewish families.

Martin Luther King, Jr (US) An American civil rights activist who was a prominent civil rights leader until his assassination in 1968.

Billy Graham (US) An American evangelist whose broadcasts and world tours touched millions of people’s lives.

Charlie Kirk (US) He co-founded Turning Point USA and through his work he touched the lives of many thousands of young people.

Current examples of his followers, in the present, that are helping Jesus. (And I believe there are hundreds more.):

Franklin Graham (US) An American evangelist and founder of Samaritan’s Purse. He frequently engages in Christian revival tours.

Randy Alcorn (US) An American Christian author that has written over 60 books. He is a popular teacher and conference speaker.

Tim Tebow (US) He is the founder of the Tim Tebow Foundation, and they specialize in anti-human trafficking and in preventing child exploitation.

N. T. Wright (UK) He is a retired Anglican Bishop and New Testament and Pauline Scholar. He is the author of over 80 Christian books.

Dr. Chauncey Crandall (US) He is a globally recognized Cardiologist. He is the author of Touching Heaven and an acclaimed missionary.

Eric Metaxas (US) He is a well-known Christian author that has written three biographies about William Wilberforce, Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Martin Luther as well as other books.

In what ways might we help Jesus grow the kingdom of God?

The list of 28 examples above are rather intimidating. But in each case these examples had the fantastic help of the Holy Spirit, as will we.

Here are some examples that I can think of:

Bind together with others in the Body of Christ and pray for a Worldwide Great Awakening with 100s of Holy Spirit Revivals throughout the world. Two recent Revivals were the Asbury Kentucky Revival of 2023 and the currently ongoing Unite US Revival of 2023 that started at Auburn University and is still expanding to other Universities.

Perhaps we, again as the Body of Christ, could get together and pray to find ways to eliminate evil from our culture.

This is a quote from N. T. Wright’s book Simply Jesus, from Chapter 15 which is titled: Jesus, Ruler of the World:

Pg 230, “What the church does, in the power of the Spirit, is rooted in the achievement of Jesus and looks ahead to the final completion of his work (to put his enemies under his feet). This is how Jesus is running the world in the present. There are millions of things the church should be getting into that the rulers of the world (and the church) either don’t bother about or don’t have the resources to support. Jesus has all kinds of projects up his sleeve and is simply waiting for faithful people to say their prayers, to read the signs of the times, and to get busy.”

But I am reminded of the inertia of the church, when it comes to confronting our culture and actually doing anything that tends to be the slightest bit controversial. I used a quote in my new book from my good friend Derek: “It is a real failing of the church that we gather, we preach, we teach, we pray, but we don’t do. We are not doing things in the community as a church…”

How might we start overcoming this inertia? When I review the above examples of followers that helped and are now helping grow the kingdom of God all 28 of the above efforts were not church efforts but individual or near individual efforts. The church was apparently not directly involved.

I wonder if Jude had the same problem with his church in the 1st century AD. Somehow, I doubt it. Jude 1:3 & 4 says: “Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our ‘common salvation,’ I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain people have crept in un-noticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.”

Today are our churches calling for us to contend for our faith? Not that I have noticed. Although our culture is rife with evil at every turn. But our churches seem to ignore the evil. Is there an opportunity here for us to help Jesus, put his enemies under his feet by directly addressing evil?

But perhaps I am expecting too much from our churches. Matthew 28:19 & 20 says, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”

This seems to be calling on churches to primarily concentrate on discipleship. And then once people get trained to be disciples, they with the Holy Spirit’s help, step up and help Jesus put his enemies under his feet.

Earlier I suggested that we, with others in the Body of Christ, could pray for a Worldwide Great Awakening with 100s of Holy Spirit Revivals throughout the world. When that happens there will be millions of new followers of Christ that need to be taught to be disciples, and our churches will be very busy.

As we wait on the Lord Jesus to find out how we can directly participate in helping put his enemies under his feet, what we can do is pray for those actively involved with Jesus in his “grow the kingdom of God” effort including those helping in “his putting all his enemies under his feet.” People such as Tim Tebow, Franklin Graham, Eric Metaxas, Dr. Chauncey Crandall and many others.

[1] Simply Life, N. T. Wright, 2011, Pg 220

[i] Simply Jesus, N. T. Wright, 2011, Pg 220